Champ Bailey is gone, a victim of age and the NFL salary cap. He left behind a giant shadow at Dove Valley, and the Broncos needed someone who’s not afraid of that shadow. They believe they have found that someone in free-agent cornerback Aqib Talib.

“Aqib is a good cover guy. He’s got good length, and he’s got good toughness,” coach John Fox said Wednesday after Talib was introduced at Broncos headquarters. “He is a guy that we had rated very, very high.”

High enough to warrant a six-year, $57 million contract, with $26 million of that money guaranteed. That’s a lot of money for a player with a history marked by injuries and off-field incidents.

Talib has not started all 16 games in any of his six NFL seasons. He missed three games this past season with New England because of what he called a “quad injury” and was knocked out of the AFC divisional playoff game against the Broncos with a bruised knee after colliding with receiver Wes Welker. Talib missed the final four games of the 2010 season with Tampa Bay when he tore his right hip flexor. In 2011, Talib started 13 games for the Bucs but played most of the season with an injured hamstring before being put on injured reserve.

Last month, owner Robert Kraft was asked during a radio show why his Patriots weren’t willing to give Talib a big contract to keep him.

“He wasn’t on the field a lot of the time since he’s been with us,” Kraft said.

Talib, however, said he’s perfectly healthy and ready to suit up.

“At 28, I still feel good. I can still do standing backflips,” he said.

Like Bailey, Talib exudes confidence. Asked what it takes to be a top-flight cornerback, Talib said, “The goal is to be thrown at a lot, so I can get a lot of interceptions.”

Talib was 13 when the Washington Redskins selected cornerback Bailey with the seventh pick of the 1999 draft.

“I definitely look up to Champ,” Talib said. “I grew up saying, ‘I’m Champ Bailey!’ I grew up saying that. To get a chance to come in after him, I’m just doing my best and will play my part to not make the drop-off too much.”

The Broncos studied Talib closely over the past two seasons when he played for the Patriots.

“We know how much we hated playing against him, so we are thrilled he’s come to the Denver Broncos,” general manager John Elway said.

Talib has dealt with a number of off-the-field issues. The most serious occurred in March 2011. Talib and his mother, Okolo, were charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after an altercation with the live-in boyfriend of Talib’s sister. Talib was accused of firing shots during an argument on a residential street. The charges were later dropped, according to Talib’s attorney, because the prosecution’s witness was not credible.

In October 2012, Talib was suspended four games by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Talib issued a statement apologizing and said he took a single Adderall pill without a prescription. He was traded from Tampa Bay to New England on Nov. 1 of that year.

Asked about those past incidents, and whether his new teammates or Broncos fans should be concerned about his character, Talib said: “I just think it was blown out of proportion. That’s what I would say. It was in the past, man, and I’m older now. And I do different things with my life. So I wouldn’t be worried at all.”